HELP PLEASE!!! Home appliances? stainless steel or not? fridge side by side?

Question

I want to buy a whole set of appliances what would be the best choise of material white or stainless steel or??? And should I pick a side by side or the traditional type? I think the only benifit the side by side has is the ice maker???but is it worth the extra cost? and what is the best brand for the stove, fridge, oven , microwave and washer machine???? Please any advise would help...THANX

How is LG and Samsung for a fridge or should I go with bosch for all appliances??

Answer 1

Stainless: Pain in the neck for upkeep, and stay away from stainless sinks. When they scratch, they don't look all that good. You can buff the scratches out, but they just come right back with use.

I personally prefer black appliances, they just have a much more sleek look to them and are a little easier to clean. Side by side fridge is a great way to go for ease of use for freezer storage, and now you may want to even consider the side by side with the freezer drawer down below. Sliding shelves in both the freezer and the fridge are handy for oversize items. That way you don't have to pop out shelves, or readjust anything, they just slide back on themselves (about half way).

Best brands - look at consumer reports to see how they all rate, but Whirlpool and Kenmore do quite well for the price. Bosch, Viking and Thermador are a little more high end, but definately worth the extra cost. Natural gas is easier to cook with in my opinion...it's just easier to control the heat. Bosch is a great dishwasher...silent and really nice. Rather than a microwave, you might want to take a look at convection ovens that double as a microwave. You can bake cookies in a fraction of the time, and then turn around and heat something else up with the microwave function.

LG front load washer and dryer...one of the best investments I made. Front load washers are making a really strong come back now because they are easier to access, and they will save you some money on water and power. They don't take hardly anything to run.

Answer 2

Stainless Steel is far more stylish right now than white or black. Some makes now have a stainless finish that doesn't show fingerprints--but only pay for that if you have little ones!

As for a fridge--if you're looking at high end, then I suggest a SubZero. I have one and love it. I dislike the side by side models, and I have one with the freezer drawer on the bottom. It's a much better use of space, and I have an ice maker in it. If you are looking at other lines, consider the new "armoire" style, or three door style of refrigerator. Those also make good use of space.

As for best brands:
Stove: Thermador (are you talking cooktop? or range?) makes a great 5 burner cooktop
Oven: Thermador, mine is a double oven, top oven is a microwave
Microwave: Lots of good brands here, Kenmore Elite makes a nice one
Washer and Dryer: I have a set of Maytag Neptunes and I think they are great.

Answer 3

I had a stainless fridge and stove by KitchenAid a few years back and despite using their stainless cleaner, the finger prints never came off completely, so I'd stay away from those (and that was without kids!).

I like my side by side KitchenAid fridge with ice and water (with a purifier in there, too) in the door... I'll never go back to any other configuration. Mainly because our water tastes like crap out of the faucet, but it also has lots of room and glass shelves which helps when you're looking for stuff. There are also can shelves in the door... the cans slide in so the tops are facing out, so it keeps boxes off the shelves.

My mom, though, says she'll get a freezer on the bottom the next time because she uses the fridge much more than the freezer and that would put most of what she needs at a higher level and she can pull a chair over to use the freezer when she needs to dig for something.

Our stove is a KitchenAid with built-in convection baking and it's a dream. It also has an auto meat cooking probe and it has never failed to cook any meat to the temp we set it at and it's perfect every time. Worth every extra dollar we spent.

Our washer and dryer are Kenmore and we love them. Big capacity and water saving are great pluses. Our microwave is one that is built in with the house and it's not the best but we don't use it for anything big, just heating water and making popcorn. LOL!

I can HIGHLY recommend our Panasonic toaster oven. We've had 10 toasters in our 13 years of marriage and none ever toasted bread as well as this toaster oven. We make pancakes and freeze them and re-heat them in this toaster oven. We also reheat leftover fries and onion rings, as well as pizza, to perfection.

Answer 4

I think the fridge part of this has been adequately covered, we bought the kitchen aid stainless a couple months ago and love it the ice maker is in the door so more freezer space. The finish on it does not show fingerprints,I would recommend a ceramic cook top or one with sealed burners. We also got the microwave with the built in range hood. Freed up a bunch of counter space. As for washer and dryer you get what you pay for. I had an inexpensive washer when I first started out and spent more money fixing it. Go for the larger capacity dryer.

Answer 5

I clean for a living, and believe me stainless steel looks nice, but it is a constant job of cleaning them (finger prints). Go with white. When it comes to a frig it depends if you have a family, then I would go with a traditional fridge. Same with the ice maker, do you really use that much ice daily to justify the added price? I have been married twenty five years, had numerous brands of appliances, and never really had any problems. But don't pay too much for features you will never use. I am sure other people will give you better advice which is great. To help you shop smart, find what you are looking for, check Epinions.com, most likely you will real customer feedback on the brand and model.

Answer 6

Stainless steel is what you want. All the home improvement shows go with that for resale value. Viking is the best for a stove, but that is very expensive. As far as a refrigerator you want a freezer on the bottom and double doors on the top. Also have heard that Bosch is a very good brand for kitchen appliances.

Answer 7

I love the stainless steel although I've never had it, mother in law has had it for ever and is still beautiful!
Have had the side by side and loved it It is well worth it(wish I still had it)!
Maytag is Best and worth it.
I've always had white but when I do it again I want the S.S.

Good Luck
You R going to have a Beautiful Kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

stainless steel is been use a lot now and keep in mind that if u get a frigde wit ice maker u have to have a water line to provide water for the ice maker usually they located in the back wall of the frigde and my pick for a brand GE